"I'm home."
Izumi Sora pushed open the door and entered the house.
The lights inside were off, making it exceptionally dim and quiet.
"Hmm?"
Izumi Sora's gaze suddenly narrowed. He saw a figure lying faintly on the floor in front of the entryway.
"Could it be Sagiri..."
Izumi Sora's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pressed the light switch.
Click.
The incandescent light turned on, instantly illuminating the entryway.
On the floor not far away lay a petite figure with long silver hair, wearing pink pajamas. Her small face was pale, and her eyes were tightly closed. Lying on her side on the floor, who else could it be but Sagiri.
"Sagiri?!"
Izumi Sora's voice trembled slightly, and he felt a buzzing in his head.
What's going on, collapsing in the entryway?
Did she accidentally fall, or did someone break in?
Or did she suddenly fall ill...
With his head buzzing, Izumi Sora couldn't care less about taking off his shoes. He dropped his schoolbag, his body instinctively rushing forward. He quickly reached Sagiri's side and scooped the silver-haired loli into his arms.
"Sagiri, are you feeling unwell?"
"Say something."
"..."
Sagiri's eyes remained tightly closed, offering no response.
Izumi Sora took a deep breath and quickly placed a hand on Sagiri's forehead. The temperature was cool, not burning, so it didn't seem like a fever.
Next, Izumi Sora grabbed Sagiri's small hands, only to feel they were exceptionally icy.
"Is she unconscious or..."
Izumi Sora held his breath and quickly placed a finger under Sagiri's nose.
His fingertip felt no airflow from the girl's breathing.
"How could this..."
Izumi Sora's heart involuntarily sank. He felt all the blood in his body reverse its flow, crashing against his brain, feeling as if his soul was plunging into an abyss.
"Steady."
"Don't panic."
Izumi Sora bit his lip, forcefully forcing himself to remain calm, and quickly placed his right hand on Sagiri's chest.
A wonderfully smooth and warm sensation transmitted from his palm, and Izumi Sora's eyes instantly brightened.
"There's still a heartbeat!"
"But she wasn't breathing just now, so I have to perform CPR and artificial respiration while waiting for the ambulance..."
Izumi Sora quickly laid Sagiri flat, then pinched Sagiri's nose, preparing to start artificial respiration.
Those who haven't lost a close family member cannot understand that feeling of blankness in the head.
If anything happened to Sagiri, he really would be all alone.
A few seconds later.
With his hands on Sagiri's chest, just as he was about to start CPR, Izumi Sora's movements suddenly halted, his gaze falling on Sagiri's small face.
The originally pale, bloodless small face was now flushing red at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a thoroughly ripe apple.
Izumi Sora: "..."
Do people feel shy and blush when they're unconscious?
Of course not.
So that means... Sagiri isn't actually unconscious?
Noticing Izumi Sora suddenly stop moving, Sagiri's long eyelashes fluttered gently. She secretly opened her eyes a crack, only to see Izumi Sora staring at her expressionlessly.
"Ah... what just happened?"
Sagiri's small face was bright red. She sat up, pretending to be bewildered, covering her chest with both hands, her gaze darting around:
"I was so hungry, and Onii-chan wasn't coming home. I waited and waited in the living room... and then, and then I don't remember anything... Did I faint?"
"..."
Izumi Sora remained expressionless, still not saying a word.
Fainted, did you?
A truly unconscious person wouldn't be blushing furiously!
"I-I'm sorry..."
Seeing that Izumi Sora was genuinely angry, Sagiri's voice grew weaker and weaker, stammering as she told the truth:
"I was so bored by myself this afternoon, so I wanted to read some manga. I happened to see that manga called 'When I Return Home Every Day, My Wife is Pretending to be Dead', so..."
So you just copied it, huh?
If our roles were reversed, you'd probably be in tears by now!
Izumi Sora silently stood up, changed into his slippers, and walked over to sit on the sofa without saying a word.
Sagiri followed nervously behind Izumi Sora, like a child who had done something wrong.
"Come here, lie down."
Izumi Sora pointed to his lap.
Coming home after school and seeing the sister he depended on lying on the floor, unconscious and not breathing, Izumi Sora felt his head buzz, as if the sky had fallen.
And in the end, it turned out it was all just his sister's prank... He couldn't hold back! He absolutely couldn't hold back!
Izumi Sora just wanted Sagiri to know right now that pranks must be punished.
"Eh?"
Sagiri blinked, her expression bewildered:
"Onii-chan wants me to lie on your lap?"
"That's right, hurry up and lie down."
"Um... why do I have to lie on Onii-chan's lap?"
"You'll know soon enough."
Izumi Sora said expressionlessly:
"It's family discipline time now."
Sagiri looked over shyly: "We haven't had family discipline before, right?"
Izumi Sora: "We do starting now."
Sagiri: "..."
Although it was very embarrassing, Sagiri, knowing she had done something wrong, didn't talk back. Instead, her small face blushing, she shyly lay across Izumi Sora's lap.
Izumi Sora was slightly surprised.
He thought Sagiri would run back to her room, but she actually lay down obediently.
Hesitating for half a second, Izumi Sora's gaze quickly sharpened.
Punishment!
She must be severely punished!
He had truly been scared into a cold sweat just now. If there were no punishment, Sagiri would definitely recreate the scene again, wouldn't she?
When kids make mistakes, they must be properly disciplined to learn their lesson!
Izumi Sora raised his right hand and brought it down with a swoosh.
Smack.
A crisp slap suddenly rang out, the lingering sound echoing endlessly in the living room.
"Mmm..."
Sagiri's body shuddered violently. She turned her small face in disbelief, looking at Izumi Sora in shock.
"Onii-chan, y-you actually..."
Their eyes met.
Izumi Sora was expressionless, his right hand falling again.
Smack!
Another crisp slap rang out.
"S-So painful..."
"It needs to hurt for you to learn your lesson. Some pranks are absolutely not allowed."
Smack!
Izumi Sora's right hand fell once more.
"It's a good thing I was the one who came back today. If it were Elf or Mahiru, what if you scared them?"
"I-If it wasn't Onii-chan... I would have gotten up..."
"So you only prank me, huh?"
"..."
Sagiri quickly lowered her small head, her silver hair falling to cover her cheeks, obscuring her expression, only her body trembling continuously.
"That's enough for today. If there's a next time, the punishment won't be this simple."
Izumi Sora delivered a few more slaps until he felt the pent-up frustration dissipate, then he stopped.
"Get up."
Izumi Sora ordered.
"..."
Sagiri remained lying on his lap, motionless.
"Why aren't you getting up?"
It was just family discipline, she couldn't possibly have fainted!
Izumi Sora reached out, picked Sagiri up, and set her on the sofa.
Sagiri's small face was blushing furiously. Although her eyes were misty with tears, looking as if she were about to cry, it didn't feel like she was actually going to cry, but rather a mix of shame and bewilderment.
"What's the situation?"
Izumi Sora's expression turned subtly strange.
In his mind, after being punished, Sagiri would definitely be very angry, probably stomp on his foot a few times, and then run upstairs huffing and puffing.
But this current expression... why does it feel like she wants to continue being punished?
"O-Onii-chan must take responsibility..."
Sagiri's small face was flushed as she finally snapped back to reality.
"What responsibility?"
"Mom said... once a boy touches you there, y-you have to be together..."
If I remember correctly, Mom was a doujinshi artist, right?
How could she have such a strong concept of chastity!
Izumi Sora said expressionlessly:
"Family doesn't count."
Sagiri quickly puffed out her cheeks: "Of course it counts, Onii-chan and I aren't blood-related!"
"Even without blood relation, we are family."
Izumi Sora stood up and handed Sagiri the cured meat claypot rice he brought back:
"I brought food for you, it's still hot, hurry up and eat."
"Thank you, Onii-chan."
Sagiri carried the food to the dining table, quickly sniffled, and said aggrievedly:
"S-So painful, I can't sit down..."
"Then eat standing up."
"..."
Having sent Sagiri off, Izumi Sora grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
Just as he came out from washing up, the doorbell happened to ring.
Izumi Sora turned to open the door.
Unsurprisingly, it was Elf and Angel-sama outside.
"Idiot Sora, good evening."
"Sora-kun, good evening."
Two different voices, equally pleasant to hear, rang out together.
Elf and Mahiru had clearly already showered; their hair was still slightly damp. However, they hadn't come out in their pajamas but had changed into clean clothes.
"Good evening, come on in."
Izumi Sora turned and walked into the house.
Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips and walked in with her head held high.
Angel-sama followed behind, familiarly closing the door, then grabbed two pairs of slippers and changed shoes with Elf.
"Sagiri, I'm here."
Seeing the silver-haired loli sitting obediently on the sofa, Yamada Elf's eyes lit up. She ran over and began chattering non-stop:
"The Sports Festival today was super fun, it's a pity Sagiri didn't go play."
Sagiri's small face still had a lingering blush as she replied softly:
"I have participated in a Sports Festival before. It was hot and tiring, not fun at all..."
The two lolis huddled together, chattering away.
Izumi Sora turned on the TV, grabbed the controllers, and set up the game for the two girls.
Meanwhile.
Shiina Mahiru naturally walked into the bathroom, noticed Izumi Sora's discarded clothes hadn't been washed yet, placed them in the washing machine, added detergent, set the timer, and then went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out the large bottle of barley tea inside.
"Tea for everyone."
Before long, Angel-sama came out carrying a tray.
"Thank you, Mahiru."
Izumi Sora took a teacup and began drinking in small sips.
Sagiri and Elf also expressed their thanks.
After distributing the tea, Shiina Mahiru took the last cup of barley tea, sat beside Izumi Sora, and took small sips while watching the TV.
"Sagiri, let's start the game, we have to clear it today."
Yamada Elf rubbed her hands together, eager to start, and picked up a controller, but she quickly noticed Sagiri was acting a bit strange today.
"Why are you sitting so crookedly..." Yamada Elf tilted her head in confusion. "Is Sagiri feeling unwell?"
"M-My stomach hurts a bit..."
Sagiri's small face flushed. She stammered, glossing over it, casting a resentful glance at Izumi Sora.
Idiot Nii-san, he used so much force, it's going to split!
Time quietly slipped away.
In the blink of an eye, it was 9:30 PM.
"That's all for today, you guys can head back and rest." Izumi Sora turned off the TV and looked at Elf and Sagiri. "Mahiru and I are planning to go fishing at the seawall tomorrow. Do you guys want to come along?"
The cockroaches in the house were gone, but Elf hadn't moved back yet, still temporarily staying at Mahiru's house.
Since he was going to the beach to fish tomorrow, he definitely couldn't hide it from Elf, so it was better to invite her openly.
"I want to go!"
Yamada Elf's eyes quickly brightened:
"I've never been fishing before."
Unsurprisingly, Sagiri still chose to stay home as a shut-in, unwilling to go out:
"I won't go... Onii-chan, remember to video call me when you're fishing tomorrow, I want to see the ocean."
"No problem."
Izumi Sora naturally agreed.
The discussion concluded.
Elf and Mahiru quickly said their goodbyes and left to rest.
Izumi Sora went upstairs to his room, sat down in front of his computer, and while waiting for it to boot up, took out his phone and sent messages to Anna and Kuroneko.
Since he invited Elf and Mahiru, he naturally had to message Anna and Kuroneko too, otherwise 'Inmate Eight' would definitely be unhappy if she found out.
Meanwhile.
On the other side.
Anna had already taken a shower, brushed her teeth, and was now lying on her bed in her pajamas. Her snow-white, smooth legs swaying gently as she happily chatted with her friend.
"Eh, Sora sent me a message?"
Anna's eyes lit up, and she quickly opened the message.
"Going fishing at the beach tomorrow... Elf and Mahiru have already agreed?"
Seeing the message on her phone, a look of hesitation appeared on Anna's pretty face.
She had just made plans to go shopping with her friend tomorrow while they were chatting...
Smack!
Anna slapped her forehead with her hand.
"I actually hesitated between my friend and Sora, that's so mean."
"At a time like this, of course I choose Sora."
"I can go shopping anytime, but if I miss fishing, it's gone."
"Moreover, Mahiru and Elf are going too... I must keep a close eye on those thieving cats!"
At this thought.
Anna quickly sent a message to her friend:
"Sorry, Yoshino-chan, Sora asked me to go out and play tomorrow."
Wanting to go fishing but not wanting to lie to her friend, Anna chose to tell the truth.
"Eh, eh, eh?"
"Izumi-kun asked you out on a date tomorrow?"
"Dates are more important!"
Anna's friend wasn't angry at all; instead, she super loved gossip:
"Speaking of which, what's the situation between Izumi-kun and Mahiru-chan?"
Anna slightly puffed out her pink cheeks: "Mahiru rented a place alone for the convenience of going to school, and she happens to live next door to Sora, that's all."
"At today's Sports Festival, Mahiru-chan and Izumi-kun looked very close. Be careful your base doesn't get stolen, Anna."
"Sora and I are childhood friends, I won't lose to a thieving cat!"
I've already kissed and hugged Sora, my progress is definitely way ahead of Mahiru, right?
I completely don't see how I could lose!
"Before officially dating, you can't let your guard down."
The girl on the other end of the phone transformed into a strategist:
"I'll teach Anna a trick to immediately win Izumi-kun over!"
"Eh?"
Anna's eyes lit up:
"What trick?"
"The weather forecast says it might rain tomorrow. If it rains, you guys go stay at a hotel, and then Anna can just reverse-push..."
"W-What! That method is way too terrible!"
"That's why Anna falls short here. If you were just a bit bolder, you could secure the victory."
"No, no, no! I'd break!"
Anna rapidly shook her head, the image of a terrifying, fierce anaconda popping into her mind again.
"Eh, what do you mean break?"